‘Dust off that mask.’ New COVID-19 variants renew risk for vulnerable Tennesseans

COVID-19 infections are ticking back up. New variants and seasonal trends are making the virus spread a bit more.

It’s not as easy to measure COVID-19 trends as it was at the height of the pandemic, but there are still resources.

National public health agencies continue to monitor virus levels in wastewater. The South’s levels started trending up a bit back in May — but it’s a tiny increase compared to what we saw immediately after the winter holidays.

This chart shows a slight bump in COVID transmission, especially in the Chattanooga area. There is a caveat to these official case counts; because in-clinic testing is rare, most cases aren’t reported to local health departments.

The Tennessee State Department of Health has continued publishing data, including a monthly critical indicators report. The latest report came out June 2and shows a recent bump in newly reported infections, especially in the Chattanooga area.

A spike in transmission is typical for summertime, Dr. William Schaffner says. He’s a professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

He also notes the new mutated viruses — known as FLiRT variants — are proving to be pretty transmissible. And other academics say the health effects can be less noticeable.

Ashish Jha, the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and former White House COVID-19 response coordinator, told NPR that although the new strains seem to spread more easily, they don’t seem to make people sicker than the old ones did.

“Everything we know about this latest variant is that you are likely to have a mild infection, not get particularly sick,” he said.

Schaffner says the rise in cases is most relevant to people at higher risk — like seniors, or anyone who is immunocompromised or pregnant.

“Those individuals might want to be a bit more cautious as they go indoors to crowded activities or travel,” he said.”Dust off that mask and put it back on.”

He said indoor spaces are more dangerous than outdoor ones. So for example, the risk while traveling is highest at the airport and getting on the plane — not so much being outside once you get to your destination.